Tag Archives: Triffic Trail 10k

Background: F and I ran the Triffic Trail in Trent Park last year and enjoyed the change of scene from the usual road runs, so I signed us up again this year. Unfortunately, F came down with a bad virus mid-week, so he wasn’t able to run. I’d run the Adidas City Runs 1 Hour the weekend before and had a busy week leading up to the Triffic Trail but decided to go along anyway.

Goal: My speedwork has been lacking recently, but having raced for an hour the previous weekend I knew I could finish 10k in a decent time. I had run last year’s Triffic Trail in 49:44, so my general goal was to beat that time. I wasn’t really in a “racing” mood but pledged to enjoy running somewhere different, and on trails.

Race strategy: Go out steady, around 5:00/km (50-minute 10k pace), then try to negative split. My usual 10k strategy! I remembered the course as undulating with a few long, gradual uphill sections, so I was prepared to throw my strategy out the window and run by feel instead of pace.

Weather & outfit: Warm and sunny, around 20C/68F. I wore shorts and my Heathside vest with sunglasses and sunscreen. I was on the fence about what shoes to wear, but in the end went for my trail shoes – it was a trail race, after all! I probably didn’t need them as it was so dry – most people ran in regular trainers – but was glad to have them for a bit of extra stability on the gravelly sections.

Post-race. Photo credit: Sif S.

The race: I’m getting more comfortable running a faster first 1-2km and then settling into a steadier pace. Perhaps it’s not the most even pacing strategy, but a swift start gets my legs working and gets me into race mode. On this course, it also helped that the first 2km were mainly flat and downhill. Use the flat parts while you can, I told myself, remembering that there would be plenty of uphills to come.

After a slow third kilometer (climbing), I picked it up for the next 2km and reached 5km in 24:40, just as we emerged into the grassy, exposed section of the course. It was bright and hot but I saw Caroline not far ahead and gradually caught up with her. Kilometer 6 was uphill again, which didn’t help the mid-race slump, but I told myself to be patient and wait a bit longer before pushing too hard.

The 7th and 8th kilometers were my favorite part of the race: flattish and then downhill, with a refreshing water stop in the middle. Come on, use this downhill – remember that the last 2km will be mostly uphill so bank some time while you can. My 8th kilometer was my fastest of the race, at 4:38. The next to last kilometer was the hardest: uphill and almost but not quite there. I squeaked through in 4:58.

One kilometer to go. Seeing Nilesh up ahead, I dug in and willed my legs to keep moving and my heart and lungs to keep working. Almost there.

‘Use your arms! Catch him!’ Photo credit: Triffic Trail

Photo credit: Triffic Trail

Turning on to the brutally long final stretch – a straight 500m on grass – I passed Nilesh and tried not to slow down. It felt like running through molasses (treacle, for the UK-speakers). Only with about 10 meters to go did I squeeze out a tiny kick to stay ahead of the man sprinting up behind me. Finished!

Not a bad goody bag! (Iced coffee not included)

The result: Chip time of 48:46 (7:52/mile, 4:53/km). A small negative split, and almost a minute faster than last year. The conditions were tough out there, and the course is not easy (according to Strava, I spent 17:34 climbing; that’s 36% of the race). The shady bits in the woods were lovely, but there was hardly any breeze and it was dry and dusty, especially on the gravelly parts of the course.

I came 103rd out of 481 finishers, was 16th woman out of 184 and the 15th Heathsider of 23.

Post-race: Enjoyed a slice of watermelon, posed for some Heathside pictures, picked up my t-shirt and goody bag. Sif shared some delicious chocolate covered raisins on the way back, and I treated myself to an iced coffee upon returning to Crouch End.

Next up: A 5k on the track in a couple of weeks…better get some speedwork in before that!

Following closely on the heels of Thursday’s Golden Stag Mile, on Sunday I took part in the Triffic Trail 10k in Trent Park. I had heard good things about this race from fellow Heathsiders so was looking forward to it. Remembering how F enjoyed last September’s trail 10k on the Heath, I convinced him to sign up and join me. What a good sport! He returned from a work trip to Boston the day before and, despite his jet lag, gamely got up with me on Sunday morning for a bit of trail running.

Gazing towards the greenery

I’d never been to Trent Park, and it is a treat: undulating terrain varying from grassy to gravelly to woodsy with a bit of pavement thrown in. Rolling hills and loads of space to enjoy some peace and quiet. As we started the race, I registered how much quieter it was than a road race — there was hardly any external noise of cars, sirens, etc. Just a few hundred runners peacefully enjoying the trails, with the occasional cheering marshal or group of supporters.

Pre-race with Alice and Tom

I find trail races to be less stressful than road races, in part because I don’t run them as often (with the exception of cross country). Plus, trail race times can’t really be compared with road races times — much less pressure! I was hoping to enjoy the race and push a bit if I felt good.

F and I set off together and ran the first kilometer in a brisk 4:38. Tom, a fellow Heathsider, joined our mini pack and we ran alongside each other for the second kilometer. For the next few kilometers, Tom and I swapped places and kept each other going: he’d pass me on uphills, I’d catch him on the downhills. Through the 5k in 24:48, fatigue started setting in as I realized there were still 5k to go! I couldn’t keep up with Tom on the next uphill, so let him go.

My 6th kilometer was the slowest of the race at 5:37, but I managed to run through the slump and make up some time on the downhills. F was not more than a few steps behind me for most of the race, which really motivated me to keep running! I was tiring at 8km but F pushed me up the last gradual uphill and then there was only 1km to go. The last 800m or so was a long, grassy straight with uneven footing that, with a headwind, felt endless. I didn’t have much at all to kick but managed to come in under 50:00, in a chip time of 49:44 (8:01/mile, 4:58/km) — very pleased with that!

Heathsiders post-race. Photo credit: Satu’s phone

There was a good contingent of Heathsiders at the Triffic Trail 10k and some great results. The weather was partly cloudy and not too warm, and the goody bags and t-shirts were solid (except for those weird cinnamon soft drinks…). All in all, a great event and highly recommended!